


I want to go home

by BethKennedy_x



Series: Wanda Maximoff; One shots [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Hurt Wanda Maximoff, I'm running out of tags, Marvel Universe, POV Wanda Maximoff, Parent Tony Stark, Post-Battle of New York (Marvel), Protective Tony Stark, Superfamily (Marvel), Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark and wanda friendship, Tony Stark feels guilty, Tony is afraid he is going to kill all the Maximoffs, Wanda Maximoff Needs a Hug, ah well, doesnt really line up with movies?, hope thats ok, i think at least lmao, im done, lol, oh well, okay, ooooops, timelines dont really exist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-04-07 08:51:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19081651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BethKennedy_x/pseuds/BethKennedy_x
Summary: Wanda thinks it's a good idea to hide her injuryEveryone else, of course, freaks out when all of a sudden she isn't answering on the comms.Maybe, it wasn't a good idea after all.(ew, real bad summary but story is hopefully better!)





	1. I want to go Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> Firstly, I want to say a huge THANK YOU for all the reads and Kudos I received on my last one shot (Scarlet nails). I had so much fun writing it and I hoped you enjoyed reading it!
> 
> I have decided to try and do a one shot series for Marvel, so please leave prompts below and I'll try my best with them!
> 
> Ok, I'll stop rambling! On with the story!

Wanda couldn’t stop the groan that escaped her mouth as she lifted a battered car door and threw it fiercely at yet another alien. It smashed spectacularly into it, sending splashes of its blue blood sailing through the air. Some of it landed on Wanda’s face, and she cringed at the cool and sticky consistency. The sun was beginning to set behind her, providing the Avengers with a soft amber backdrop for their fight. The clouds overhead had cleared since earlier on in the day, but there were still stubborn ones sticking around, obscuring quite a bit of the sky from view. The sickly sweet smell of blood in the air was so strong it was almost tangible. It was so foul that Wanda was close to gagging every time she drew blood from the aliens.  
The mission was supposed to be simple, Wanda thought to herself bitterly as she fought off another round of the ugly creatures. They were orangey-brown in colour, with sharp thorns sprouting from their limbs and drool almost always hanging precariously from their grotesque mouths. The Avengers had no idea that these aliens would be the defence system of the large terrorist group they had been expected to shut down. Even after 5 months of observing the group, they had somehow failed to discover the army of space mutants that they had somehow coerced into serving as their guards. Wanda could tell that the rest of the Avengers were equally as displeased as her about the revelation. Clint was especially annoyed; he had been hoping to spend Christmas at home this year, instead of in a hospital bed like last year. Wanda silently prayed he would remain relatively unharmed. She knew how much his family meant to him. He swore viciously down the comms and Wanda saw the familiar glint of his arrow flying over her head and into the creature behind her. It fell to the ground with a squelchy thud. She eyed it with disgust, she had never seen such a disgusting thing in all of her life.  
The searing pain in her side almost elicited yet another groan from her mouth, however this time Wanda wisely bit it back, knowing that eventually somebody would question the sounds and become suspicious. She didn’t want to bring up her wound in the middle of the battle, it would be stupid to distract the team whilst they themselves were in danger. When it first happened, she had decided to just wait until later, once everything was over. Of course, that was before the aliens showed up and everything went to shit. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since then, but it had been long enough that blood coated her side in a thick, tar-like consistency, and she was starting to feel slightly lightheaded. Dread had begun to creep into her stomach a couple minutes ago, when she had caught sight of a trail of red splatters that followed her where ever she went, as if she was laying bloody breadcrumbs like the siblings in the children’s story Pietro loved so much as a child. Wanda, personally, never understood why. The children were kicked out of their home, what was so entertaining about that?  
In hindsight, Wanda knew she shouldn’t have ripped the knife out, it had probably made things worse, but there was a job to do and she barely even thought about the consequences until afterwards. Now, she was barely holding it together as the ground tilted dangerously beneath her. Wanda only just managed to stay on her feet as she stumbled unsteadily towards a wall nearby. Gasping, she made her way around to the back of the wall, hidden away from the aliens, and grit her teeth as she unceremoniously slid down onto the dirty concrete, which was already stained red with her blood.  
The agony slicing up and down her side was unbearable. The slightest movement felt, quite literally, like another knife to her side. Her shaking hands were now covering the gaping wound and she was alarmed at how quickly they turned scarlet, the blood that was spilling out of her side coated them completely. She felt bile burning at the back of her throat as another wave of dizziness hit, and her vision tunnelled dangerously. Her breaths burst out if her mouth in short, quick gasps, each one hurting more and more. Hot, salty tears streamed down her face as she dug her teeth into her bottom lip in a fruitless attempt to divert the pain elsewhere. All that achieved, though, was drawing more blood. The coppery taste on her tongue made her feel nauseous.  
She was vaguely aware of the team conversing over the comms, but the noise of her heart pounding in her ears reverberated around her head, making it difficult to understand what they were saying. Distantly, she noticed that the sounds of battle that she had slowly become accustomed to that dreary afternoon had ceased, and an eerie silence had filled the air. Wanda hoped that meant they won. She wanted nothing more than to go home and climb into her bed, which was so big she could stretch her arms and legs all the way out like a starfish and still not feel the ends of the sheets. Her room in the Avengers tower followed the same theme throughout; everything was massive, excessively so, though Wanda supposed when you had money it didn’t matter. And if there was one thing Tony Stark had, it was money.  
“Wanda? You there, kid?” Clint’s voice asked, breaking Wanda out of her dazed daydreaming. For a moment, Wanda looked around for him in confusion, before she realised he had talked over the comms. Before she could even process what he had said, more voices were speaking.  
“Hey, has anyone got eyes on the kid?” Tony asked, something akin to concern leaking into his voice.  
“The young spider is with me, Stark” Thor’s voice boomed, and Wanda winced at its volume.  
“No, not that kid, different kid. God, we have too many kids, why do we have so many kids?” Tony rambled down the comms, and Peter immediately began to insist he wasn’t a child in a very indignant (yet, somehow, still polite) tone. Clint impatiently interrupted him, silencing Peter instantly.  
“Has anyone got eyes on Wanda?”  
There was silence for a few moments, and Wanda could imagine everyone looking around for her or her signature sparks and swirls of red energy floating through the air. She wanted to speak up and tell them she was okay, but she suddenly felt extremely weak. It was as if somebody had sucked all of the energy out of her, leaving an exhausted shell behind. At some point, her eyes had closed, and she fought to open them again. The pain in her side had dulled considerably, which she assumed was probably a bad sign, but it felt so good to be free of the biting agony that Wanda found she didn’t care.  
Various replies filtered through the comms, all different, but all with the same general consensus.  
“Nobody has eyes on her? No one?” Natasha asked again, even though they all knew the answer. Icy fear settled deep in their stomachs as they were all met with silence on the comms.  
“Friday, activate ‘baby witch’ protocol and tell me Wanda’s location” Tony commanded. If Wanda hadn’t of been so drowsy, she would have been offended. Since when did Stark put a tracker in her suit? And create a protocol for her? She supposed it didn’t matter, it was certainly proving to be useful now.  
“Sir, Miss Maximoff’s tracker was damaged in battle. I am unable to locate her” Friday replied in her monotonous and unperturbed tone.  
Or not, Wanda thought regrettably. She probably shouldn’t have jinxed it.  
Tony swore, and it was a testament to the gravity of the situation that nobody (not even Stark himself) made a quip about his ‘language’. Wanda’s glazed eyes blinked sluggishly back open when she realised Clint was talking directly to her again.  
“Wanda, if you can hear us, tell us where you are, okay? We can come get you, just say something” he pleaded.  
He sounded worried, and Wanda wondered why. She was okay, it didn’t even hurt anymore. She barely noticed herself sliding further down the wall as her hands slipped off of the wound and into her lap. Her vision was so fuzzy she couldn’t even see a couple feet in front of her, and chills were making her body spasm every so often. The blood was still oozing out of her side, but Wanda didn’t even register that anymore. She was just glad the pain was gone. She could feel herself slipping away, but somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she shouldn’t fall asleep. She didn’t remember why, all she knew was that it was a bad idea.  
Everyone was frantically shouting down the comms now. They were searching for her. They were worried. She wished she could tell them where she was, but simply opening her mouth took so much effort. One voice in particular stood out to her, though.  
“Mr. Stark, do you think Wanda is hurt?” Peter asked, his voice abnormally high. Wanda’s heart sank to the bottom of her stomach. Even semi-conscious, she could hear the child-like terror which was evident in his shaky voice. She forced herself to swallow roughly before trying once again to reply. There was no way she could continue to let Peter worry over her, not when he had already lost so many people. The two youngest Avengers had grown to be quite good friends, so much so that sometimes the Avengers would joke about Wanda acting like an older sister towards Peter. She didn’t mind their banter though. In fact, she actually quite liked the idea of having a brother again. She felt guilty initially, but over time she realised that Pietro would be glad she had found a new family. Despite how mental and dysfunctional it was.  
“I-I’m okay” she slurred softly, and for a moment, the gripping fear in her heart spiked when she thought they didn’t hear her.  
“Wait…wait! Everyone shut up!” Stark yelled, and immediately there was quiet.  
“Kid? You there?”  
Wanda panted heavily as she struggled to muster up the energy to reply. Her vison was dotted with black spots now, and she knew she didn’t have long till she fell unconscious.  
“I’m here” she replied tiredly. She heard multiple people sigh in relief.  
“Are you okay?”  
“Where are you?”  
“Oh, thank God”  
That last one was Peter. She almost smiled at his reply, but it quickly morphed into a grimace as she attempted to shift farther up the wall. She didn’t want to lie down, that would make her fall asleep quicker.  
“I’m hurt. Stab wound. Think I’m gonna faint” she gritted out, taking sharp breaths between each statement. It was taking massive amounts of effort to reply, and at once point she very nearly did faint.  
“Jesus Christ- Okay, okay. Don’t worry, okay? We’re going to help you, we just need to know where you are” Stark answered, stating the last part slowly and firmly, which Wanda was grateful for as it was easier to process what he was asking of her. The only problem was, she had no idea where she was. She couldn’t remember, and from her place behind the wall, she couldn’t see either.  
“I don’t know” she admitted shakily, her damp eyes already darting around her surroundings desperately for anything that she could use to help them find her. The weight of her own exhaustion was crushing, and it made her eyelids heavy and her mind slow. She could barely think straight, and her constant darkened vision made it hard to see.  
“That’s okay, Wanda. Can you see anything around you?” Stark asked in a comforting tone, which had little effect as Wanda was close to screaming because she couldn’t see. Muffling a frightened sob, Wanda shook her head.  
“Kid? Eyes open, Wanda. I need you to answer me” Tony cried out, and Wanda realised she hadn’t answered verbally.  
“It hurts” she said instead. She didn’t mean to say that, the words just spilled out of her mouth. It felt like somebody had stuffed cotton balls in her brain.  
Tony swore again, and Wanda found it strange that he was the only one there. Maybe everyone else went home. Wanda wanted to go home.  
“I know, I know Wanda, we’re going to get you home soon, okay? I just need you to stay awake” Tony reassured her, but his voice lacked conviction. She hadn’t realised she said that out loud, or maybe Tony had was magic too, and he could read her mind. That would be nice, she didn’t like being the only weird one.  
It struck Wanda for the first time that she could die there, alone, hidden behind a brick wall in a pool of her own blood. The realisation was like a slap to the face. The sheer terror coursing through her veins was the only thing keeping her conscious at this point, because she didn’t want that. She didn’t want to die, not then. At one point, months before, just after Pietro’s death, she was ready for it. Accepting of it, even. But not now, she still had so much to do, so much to make up for. She couldn’t die now.  
Stark continued to speak to her over the comms, but his voice soon became like white noise on the radio when you switch to the wrong channel and it washed over her in soothing waves. Sometimes, she would hear him talking to Friday (she found herself giggling at the absurdity of the name, what kind of name is Friday for a machine?) and other times he would be talking to her, urging her to stay awake.  
It was strange, for most of her life she had hated, no, detested the man talking to her for what he had done to her family. But now, not only did she respect him, but she liked him. She liked Tony Stark, and it was clear that Stark liked her too, or at the very least, cared about her wellbeing. It was a relationship that was rocky at the beginning, but over time (and after a stuttered apology on both parts late one night after a nightmare so bad Friday had to alert Tony because her heart rate was so elevated) they slowly started to build the foundations for a comradery, a friendship. And Wanda was surprisingly grateful for the unexpected turn of events. It felt good to fight alongside Iron Man. But, more than that, it felt good to be friends with Stark. Plus, he gave Wanda a huge room with a TV, so she could hardly complain.  
Her eyelids fluttered shut as she listened to Tony’s voice. She had no clue what he was saying, but she listened anyway. His voice filled the silence, it made her feel less alone. Darkness encompassed her as she began to float away from the cold, blood soaked ground, finally free from the exhaustion and the agony in her side. For a second, Tony’s panicked voice still filtered through into her mind, and then…there was quiet. 

 

“Kid? Wanda, hey? Are you there? You need to stay awake, Wanda! Friday knows where you are, I’m coming right now, just- hang on!” Stark begged desperately as he zoomed through the broken streets of New York. Yet more destruction that S.H.I.E.L.D would have his ass for, but he had bigger things to worry about at that point.  
“Friday, stats” he ordered, narrowly dodging a dislodged piece of metalwork hanging from a building.  
“Blood pressure is low and dropping. Heart rate is low. Miss Maximoff has lost a large amount of blood. If she does not receive medical care soon, she will die” Friday informed him serenely. Tony’s breath hitched as terror raced across his entire body.  
“No-no! There is no way this kid is dying on me, Friday. I’m not going to be the cause of all the Maximoff deaths for fucks sake” he bit out resentfully, forcing his thrusters to their maximum capacity.  
Speeding through the air, he managed to reach Wanda’s location, speaking to her all the while. He didn’t think she could hear him, but the constant reassurances were more for his benefit than Wanda’s, it made him feel less helpless, like he was actually doing something to aid her.  
Finally, after what felt like the longest flight of his life, he touched down to the ground and bolted over to an old, brick wall that Wanda was sat behind. As he rounded the corner, his brown eyes widened almost comically in horror.  
Nothing could have prepared him for the sight he was met with.


	2. The sound of Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three of Wanda's closet friends talk to her as she rests in the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellllooooo!!! 
> 
> THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE LOVE ON THE LAST CHAPTER! The comments I received were so so nice and I'm really grateful for the feedback :) The kudos were all really appreciated also!
> 
> This chapter didn't quite go as I expected and I'm honestly not sure if I like it but hopefully you guys enjoy. I don't know if I will write another chapter for this one as I originally planned it to be two chapters, but the way it has ended has left it open to future chapters so let me know if you would be interested in that!
> 
> Also, I just wanted to say that I am really bad at proof reading my work so I apologise for any spelling and grammatical errors throughout lol.
> 
> Anyway, enough rambling, on with the story!

Beeping.

That was the first thing Wanda was aware of after floating around in the nothingness for so long. A soft, regular and consistent beeping echoing around her addled brain. It done little to fill the hole in her memory of how she ended up wherever she was, yet she somehow recognised the sound.

Next was the pain; a dull ache in her side that throbbed rhythmically, steadily, like the beat of a song. It was better than the agony that she vaguely recalled from before, whenever ‘before’ had been.

Sometime later, snippets of memories began to flood back into her head. Some parts came easier than others, like the insurmountable pain, the feeling of tacky blood against clammy hands and the coolness of metal against her flushed cheeks. The other parts, she couldn’t seem to reach, like why she was sore or where she was. Frustration ate away at her as she failed to connect the dots in her brain. It was like she was trying to piece together a jigsaw puzzle without half the pieces or playing chess without most of her pawns.

At some point, more sounds invaded the darkness. Muffled voices spoke in low tones around her, but she could never make out what they were saying, which only proved to amplify her vexation. There was a warm, bony hand clasping her own for a while, which was then replaced with a smaller, smoother hand, which was then again briefly replaced by a larger, more calloused one. Despite the familiarity Wanda sensed with each one, she couldn’t place who they were. Certain syllables would pop into her brain, but they never stayed long enough for her to make sense of them. Very quickly, they would fade, and she would be left with nothing but the feeling of the unknown hand in hers and soft sheets covering her body.

It wasn’t long before more voices filtered into her head. They all spoke loudly, and they overlapped each other often, evidently frustrated. Eventually, there was so much going on that Wanda could no longer differentiate between them as they sounded more and more like the garbled buzzing of bees.

Then, quite suddenly, there was quiet. Except for the beeping, which had continued all the way through the hum of conversation moments (had it been moments?) before. Panic began to mount in Wanda’s chest at the thought of being alone in the dark again, but then a familiar voice to her right calmed her fears instantly.

“Everyone is really worried, Wanda. The doctors are saying that you might…that there’s a chance you won’t wake up. But they don’t know you, they don’t know how strong you are. If they did, they would know that you are going to wake up and you’re going to be fine. You are. You have to. You’re one of us Wanda, an Avenger. We don’t go down without a fight. And…Wanda, I- you’re one of my best friends. I can’t lose somebody else. And, more than that, you don’t deserve to go.” The voice cracked and shook all the way through, and Wanda wanted nothing more than to open her eyes and reassure the scared boy next to her.

 “So, you’re going to wake up Wanda and you’re going to binge watch all the Star Wars movies with me and Ned whether you like it or not because you owe me after this, right? Who knows, maybe even MJ will come.  Although, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.  You can be quite intimidating Wanda, and I don’t want you scaring her off with this whole ‘big sister’ speech before I even have a chance to ask her out” the voice chuckled softly, but there was an air of sadness to it. Wanda’s heart squeezed in sympathy.

“I better go, I think Mr. Sta- Tony will want to see you. Good luck with him Wanda, he isn’t happy about how you handled your injury. I’ll try and rescue you soon though, okay? … Okay”

Then the bony hand slid out of hers and Wanda was left alone again.

Peter. Her friend. It was him talking. She had missed his voice. She felt guilty for worrying him so much, especially after everything he had been through. Wanda still couldn’t remember what had happened to her but judging by what Peter said, it was pretty serious. A sudden thought occurred to her and it struck fear in her heart; if it was serious, then she could die. That’s what he had said, wasn’t it? That she may not wake up? She couldn’t bare the thought of remaining in the blank, empty darkness forever, she wasn’t ready for that.

She didn’t have much time to freak herself out, however, as a couple minutes later she heard footsteps plodding over to her bed. She sensed the figure hover unsurely for a moment, before sitting down next to her. There was another moment of what Wanda could only assume to be hesitation and then she felt a calloused palm settle uncertainly over the top of her hand. After a couple seconds, the tension Wanda felt in the hand ebbed away, the figure clearly becoming more comfortable. It was a few minutes before the person began speaking.

“I don’t know what you were thinking, kid. I mean, you were stabbed. You get that, right? Somebody shoved a goddam knife in your body and you didn’t think that was something you should have mentioned? I mean, shit, Wanda you could have died. You nearly died, do you get that? I found you slumped behind a wall with more of your blood on the ground than in your body. You’re in a medically induced coma for fucks sake! Why didn’t you say something? Everyone has been worried sick! Peter has thrown up twice since you were admitted and looked close to doing so again when he left your room a minute ago. I’ve never seen Natasha look so angry, and that’s really saying something kid. It was a stupid, irresponsible, impulsive choice and you’re definitely benched if- when you wake up” the person was clearly exasperated, his voice rising in volume with every point he made, but he quietened towards the end of his rant. There was silence for a while and then the person (Tony. Tony Stark, her mind provided) continued in a much more reserved tone.

“You need to wake up, red. No more sleeping now, okay? You done enough of that on the flight over here. I barely got you here in time. But I did, so you need to do this for me now, okay? I burned out my thrusters to get your thankless ass to the hospital on time so now _you_ need to do this for me. No walking off into the light yet, you hear me? You can’t do that to- Peter, and Natasha and, you know, everyone else. So, wake up already. These hospital chairs are far from comfy and the food choice is terrible. I mean, what kind of place doesn’t sell cheeseburgers? Ludicrous, that’s what that is, absolutely ridiculous. You’d think the best hospital in all of America would sell cheeseburgers!”

The conversation went on like that for a while longer, with Stark ranting on about how much he hated hospitals and what Wanda’s ‘punishment’ would be for her ‘idiot idea’ of hiding her stab wound. Mostly, the conversation was pointless (and very one-sided, not that that mattered anyway, Wanda figured out long ago that Tony was a fan of his own voice at times) but it seemed to relax him. The tension gradually faded from his voice until he was speaking casually, as if she wasn’t in a coma (something she was trying her hardest not to focus on). Eventually, there was a soft, almost timid knock on the door and Tony stopped mid-sentence. He greeted the person, seemingly unsurprised by their sudden appearance.

“Wake up soon kid, we need your voodoo out on the field” he said as he patted her hand affectionately, and then he left just as quickly as the new person arrived, he left.

Immediately, Wanda got a different vibe from this person. Whoever it was had no problem making themselves comfortable in the chair, but like Tony, they seemed to hesitate before taking her hand. However, when they did, Wanda noticed that the hand that enveloped her own was soft and smooth, and Wanda was pleased when she recognised the scar on its palm. Natasha, Wanda thought to herself. She had shown Wanda the scar once, claiming that it was Clint’s fault. Knowing Clint, it most likely was.

Silence filled the air in the room (which Wanda had finally realised was a hospital room, and the beeping probably a heart monitor) but it wasn’t heavy with unsaid words and anger bubbling under the surface, like it was with Tony initially. Instead, it was a comfortable and welcoming quiet. When Wanda first came to live in the Avengers tower, she found herself drawn to Natasha. She was strong and confident in a quiet, subtle way, yet she was intimidating enough that everyone knew not to piss her off. What’s more though, was that Natasha was one of the very few people who knew how to navigate silence. She didn’t cringe at the absence of conversation, instead she seemed to embrace and revel in it, something not even Pietro could do. Wanda found herself in awe of the women quite frequently, and over the following months she gravitated towards her, and shockingly, Natasha (although cold and distant at first) seemed happy enough to take Wanda under her wing, after Wanda had apologised excessively for the whole ‘mind invasion’ incident, which she had never fully forgiven herself for and she definitely didn’t expect the team to offer their forgiveness so easily. To be honest, she never expected them to, so when Natasha glided over to Wanda in the living room one day and offered to help her with her training, Wanda was gobsmacked to say the least.

It was a welcoming distraction from the crushing grief that came with losing her brother, and Wanda was more than grateful for it. The regular and consistent training with Natasha (and eventually the rest of the team) saved her from herself and her own misery, which she was sure she would have drowned in if left alone for much longer.

Natasha began slowly circling the pad of her thumb gently across the back of Wanda’s hand. The action immediately soothed Wanda’s anxious mind. After a while, so long that Wanda thought she wouldn’t speak at all, Natasha whispered, almost icily “what you done was really, really stupid”.

Wanda internally cringed. Peter and his concern, she could deal with. Stark and his over-bearing protectiveness and angry lectures, she could deal with. But Natasha, her mentor and friend’s disappointment? It made Wanda’s stomach churn.

“The aliens didn’t fight with knifes, so you must have been stabbed beforehand. Which means that you were losing blood all afternoon and you didn’t say anything. Do you have any idea how much danger you were in?” Natasha kept her voice deliberately even and low, so Wanda couldn’t gauge her true feelings. It was unnerving, not being able to see her face, although Wanda reckoned that at that particular moment it would have been equally as blank, and perhaps even steely.

“Stark barely got you here in time. You’re lucky Friday managed to hack into the security camera’s feed and locate you, or else he would’ve been too late” she carried on. Guilt stung in her chest as she was forced to listen to Natasha. She desperately wanted to open her eyes and show her that there wasn’t anything to worry about, but she still felt so weak and her eyes were still impossibly heavy.

“You’re not invincible, Wanda. And you’re not going to be a burden to anybody by admitting you’re hurt during a fight. In fact, you’re more of a burden when you keep it to yourself and send everyone into a panic trying to find you”

Wanda found herself recalling all the times Natasha had continued fighting, even when she had a bullet wound or a probable concussion and so on. Seemingly reading her mind, Natasha added “I know I’m not the best role model, but I trained you better than this Wanda.”

The silence that followed stretched on for what felt like centuries. Gone was the comfortable quiet from before, now Wanda was just eager to hear what else Natasha had to say. Was she actually really angry? Was she going to cancel their training? Kick her off the team? Push her away altogether?

“Wake up soon, Wanda. Everyone is worried, Stark included, even though he might not have expressed that in the right way earlier. Clint will be in soon, I think. You’re probably in for another lecture kid, but you can hardly complain. It was an extremely thoughtless decision” Natasha said, but there was an air of her familiar banter in the comment and Wanda internally released tension she hadn’t realised had accumulated in the first place.

She heard Natasha stand up from the chair and quietly pad out of the room and into the hallway, leaving Wanda alone in her bed. The darkness was still as stubborn as ever, refusing to let up even a little, but Wanda found that she didn’t mind it as much. She was exhausted anyway, and she could feel herself falling back into its depths. The guilt she had felt earlier hadn’t lessened as such, but she tried to push it to the back of her mind. The sooner she could wake up and apologise, the better. Her mother always used to say that rest was the most effective medicine, and if that’s what it would take then Wanda decided that wasn’t too bad. She hadn’t slept properly in a while, it would be nice to do so again.

With the knowledge that her newfound family were waiting for her on the other side, Wanda let herself slip back into the nothingness, promising herself that at the next opportunity she would force her eyes open and greet her loved ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Remember to leave a kudos and even a comment if you like :) They always put a smile on my face!


	3. The twitch of a hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda spends a week in the hospital, still trapped in her coma. 
> 
> (I'm not even bothering with a summary now, but I am so bad at them lmao, sorry!!!) 
> 
> The actual story itself is better, I swear. Just expect lot's of Avengers family fluff, focusing mainly on Wanda and Natasha this chapter :).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my loves!
> 
> As always, I want to start by thanking every single person who has supported this series! I genuinely never expected to get such a positive response, so I am extremely grateful to you all, you are too kind!!! 
> 
>  
> 
> Secondly, I wanted to mention that, funnily enough, I initially intended this to be a one shot, but obviously that isn't what this turned out to be lol! I'm hoping to wrap it up next chapter (although knowing me, that might not happen) for reasons that I am going to explain in the notes at the bottom, so don't forget to check that out at the end for a more detailed explanation!
> 
> Also, I'm not too happy with how this chapter turned out, so I'm sorry if it isn't as good as the other ones :/ 
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway, without further ado, let's get on with the story!

It was exactly 5.37 am when Wanda woke up.

It wasn’t instantaneous, like some movies make it out to be. Rather, it was frustratingly gradual, for Wanda and the rest of the Avengers.

It started with a miniscule twitch of a finger 5 days after she had been admitted to the hospital; Peter was the one who spotted it, but unfortunately, he was the only one, and despite his giddy, flustered indignation, nobody really believed him. What they didn’t know however, was that that tiny little twitch had taken a titanic amount of effort of Wanda’s part. It had been ridiculously difficult to do even that, she wasn’t sure if she had it in her to try again.

But she did. A little while later, in the late afternoon of that fifth day her hand twitched once again, and this time, Peter wasn’t the only one who witnessed it.

“Her hand moved, I seen it myself” Tony declared. He stood with an air of his well-known obnoxious confidence, which had been startlingly absent the past couple of days. Peter was practically bouncing next to him. His cheeks were flushed with excitement as his large, brown orbs darted around everyone’s faces to watch their reactions because he knew it, he knew she had moved. He knew she was trying, and that was all that mattered.

The remaining Avengers’ faces brightened at the news. They had all been worried for Wanda, especially when she didn’t awaken on the third day like the doctors predicted she would. Moods had darkened and the hospital itself, though it was never exactly pleasant in the first place, seemed to darken also. The weather outside was stormy (everyone silently agreed not to mention the fact that this was likely Thor’s doing) and so the drawn out days spent in the hard, plastic chairs were dull and grey. Peter was the only one who managed to keep everyone’s spirits up. Without fail, every afternoon after school Peter would clumsily bound into Wanda’s room and proceed to tell her all about his day, usually in excessive detail. Even after the third day (which was arguably the worst for everyone) he still remained relentlessly hopeful and nobody had the heart to dampen his faith. In the end, he was the one that kept the - albeit tired - smiles on the team’s faces.

“Seriously? You really saw it move? Like actual movement?” asked Clint in quick succession. He sat rigidly upright in his seat, contrasting his miserable, slumped form from moments before.

“What? Do you think I would lie to you, Legolas? _Yes,_ we saw her hand move” he answered with a hint of arrogance, but the sheer relief evident in the softer lines of his face cushioned the blow. Clint forced the air out of his lungs in a quick, stunned blow as he slumped back, his face a picture of shock. Natasha merely leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes, letting out a slow sigh of relief.

“She isn’t awake- “

“Yet!” Peter jumped in, unable to reign in his happiness. Tony couldn’t supress the smile that tugged at his lips.

“She isn’t awake _yet”_ Tony began pointedly, “but it’s a good sign. It’s a really good sign”

“It means she is trying to wake up. I told you, didn’t I tell all of you?” Peter cried out as he flapped his arms about in the air.

“Yeah, I guess we should listen to you more often, Peter” Steve remarked as he patted Peter’s shoulder lightly, before ruffling his hair. He irritably shrugged him off, but his eyes were still shining with joy.

Unfortunately, Wanda didn’t show any signs of waking at all on the sixth day. Everyone took turns waiting by her bedside and watching her hands intently, but it was to no avail. Wanda simply continued her steady cycle of breathing in and out, in and out, in and out, which was enough on the first day, but everyone had grown increasingly impatient at this point.

Eventually though, at 5.37 on Thursday morning, a week after she had been admitted and put into a medically induced coma, Wanda finally opened her eyes.

She wasn’t met with blinding bright lights, like she expected. Instead, when she blinked her sticky eyes open she was met with a darkness so like the one she had drifted in for so long she was worried she hadn’t managed to wake up at all. But then her vision cleared, and as her eyes grew accustomed to the dark she noticed a couple things.

Firstly, she spotted a figure curled into the big, soft armchair to her right. They were completely still, except for the steady rising of their chest as they breathed. Her only distinguishable feature was her red hair, which was visible even in the dim lighting.

As if Natasha could feel Wanda’s eyes on her, she woke up and immediately locked eyes with Wanda. After a soft, sharp intake of breath, Natasha smiled warmly at her.

“Hey” she greeted quietly, her green eyes boring into Wanda’s like she was scared she wouldn’t see them again.

“Hi” Wanda replied, her voice raspy and hoarse. Understanding, Natasha uncurled from the seat and leaned forward to get the bottle of water sitting on the bedside cabinet. She raised the straw to Wanda’s dry lips and she drank the cool liquid greedily. The water felt amazing on her sore, sandpaper like throat. Natasha eased it away after a couple gulps, “don’t have too much at once” she advised softly, and Wanda begrudgingly pulled away.

For a moment they sat in silence, Natasha’s eyes scanning Wanda’s in a confusing mixture of concern and relief. They both had so much to say but neither could find the words to begin, which was particularly unheard of when it came to Natasha.

Wanda was touched (though startled) when she noticed wet tears brimming in Natasha’s eyes.

“Everyone was really worried” Natasha whispered, so quietly Wanda had to strain to hear her. She stared at Wanda with such intensity that Wanda had to fight to not look away.

“I’m sorry” Wanda apologised, equally as surprised to find tears pooling in her own eyes. Natasha searched her face for a moment (for what, Wanda was unsure) before nodding gently.

“I know” she said simply, her voice more hushed than ever. She settled back in her chair and brought her legs up to her chest, settling her chin on one knee. She looked so young sitting there, dwarfed by the sheer size of the recliner (a feature Stark was surely responsible for, thought Wanda) without any makeup, and with her unkempt waves tumbling down past her shoulders. Wanda was so used to seeing it tied up, she hadn’t realised how long it had gotten.

 It was a strange sight, seeing Natasha so vulnerable and…unwound. It was weirdly comforting though, Wanda was glad Natasha felt comfortable enough to properly relax in her company.

Even though Wanda had spent the past week doing little but sleep, exhaustion was beginning to seep back into her body. Natasha, noticing this, smiled reassuringly at her.

“It’s okay, get some rest Wanda” Natasha encouraged.

“I don’t want to” Wanda admitted, too drained to conceal her fear. The last thing she wanted was to return to the black oblivion she had been trapped in for so, so long. Especially since she had only just escaped.

“I’m still going to be here when you wake up. I won’t let anything happen to you” Natasha swore, despite knowing there wasn’t much she could do if Wanda did slip back into her coma somehow. Her empty promise seemed to have the desired effect on Wanda though, who visibly sank into the bed like an anchor in the sea after a tense couple of seconds spent warring with herself. In the end, her bone weary exhaustion won, and Natasha watched Wanda’s eyes flutter closed after only being open for a short amount of time.

She wrapped her arms around her legs and took a steadying breath, finally allowing the tears that had been blurring her vision finally slip out, the stress of the week crashing into her. She hadn’t allowed herself to break down, not in front of everyone else. But, alone in the room with only Wanda’s reassuring breaths to keep her company, it felt good to let it all out, until she too fell back asleep.

The silence of the room was filled by the clock on the wall, ticking away the time Wanda spent asleep. But, this time, she wasn’t in a coma, this time she was okay, or at least that’s what Natasha told herself during the long hours spent somewhere between sleep and wakefulness before Tony burst through the door at 8.30 am with coffees and donuts and Natasha was able to break the good news.

Wanda was awake. Wanda had spoken.

Wanda was going to be okay.

The relief on Tony’s face was palpable, but what really got her was the tears that formed in his eyes at the words.

“She’s okay?” he asked in a voice broken one too many times due to situations like these.

Natasha took the food and beverages out of his shaking hands and placed them lightly down on the cabinet.

“Yeah, Stark. She’s okay” she answered.

And then they shared a long hug as the ticking of the clock and the beeping of the heart monitor played a symphony in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End.....
> 
> Nah, I'm just kidding. I wouldn't leave you guys hanging like that!
> 
> However, like I mentioned earlier I'm hoping to wrap this story up next chapter. I want to do this because I'm planning on making the series (which is currently just called Marvel One Shots) a one shot/ mini series that is Wanda centric (with other, occasional one shots focusing on other characters from time to time). I had the idea to make a series filled with one shots from Wanda's life (pre and post AoU) which can be read standalone or as part of the entire series. 
> 
> Is that something you would be interested in? Let me know! 
> 
> I'm also working on mini series which is very much Peter centric, and I'm hoping to have that out soon!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Remember to leave a lovely wee kudos if you liked! love you all loads and loads >3


	4. NOT OFFICIAL CHAPTER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> !UPDATE!
> 
> Not an official chapter

Hello everyone! 

This isn’t an official chapter, I just wanted to update you all! 

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, I’ve been really busy with school but this is my last day before summer! I am away on holiday for a week on Sat, so I won’t be able to post until I’m back :( I’m really sorry guys, I hate to leave it so long!

Also, thanks so much for all the support! I never thought I would get 1000+ reads, I was so shocked when I realised it had reached that! All the kudos and comments are really appreciated :D 

Thanks again guys!!! >3


	5. I'm Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers comfort Wanda in hospital, and they also watch Star Wars. 
> 
> Lot's n Lot's of fluff :))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK! :D
> 
> Sorry for the long wait :( I hope this chapter makes it worth it ahhaha. 
> 
> I can't express how thankful I am to everyone who has supported this series, it means so much to me. The amount of reads, comments and kudos I have received is honestly astonishing. I never ever ever thought I would get this many. I love you all!!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy the final chapter of this series, I have had a lot of fun writing it and hopefully I'll be back soon with a one shot for you all :)
> 
> See you soon >3

Wanda sighed contentedly as she surveyed her hospital room. Peter was sat at the foot of her bed, with his legs bent beneath him in a basket. She smiled fondly at the look of concentration etched on his face as he scribbled down answers to various maths equations in his homework. Bruce was stood behind him, casually leaning over his shoulder every once in a while to point out an error or nod approvingly at his work. Wanda wasn’t as familiar with Doctor Banner as she was the rest of the team, but his presence was a nice surprise. He seemed a kind man, if not a little quiet, and his intelligence was astounding. He had treated some of her minor injuries a couple of times before, but other than that he hadn’t been around much. He was often in the lab with Tony (a place that Wanda often tried to avoid as she never understood a thing the two geniuses were discussing, and she always felt like she was intruding) or simply relaxing on his own. Wanda understood that Bruce appreciated solitude, but she wished she could get to know the gentle man better. To say she was pleased when she awoke to him standing awkwardly at her bedside whilst reading her chart was a slight understatement.

Tony, quite easily the biggest presence in the room, was sat in a chair in the corner. He had his laptop balanced precariously on his lap and his fingers were dancing wildly across the keyboard. He huffed and sighed in irritation almost every other minute and Wanda fought not to laugh at his dramatics. Pepper - who was outside Wanda’s room giving sass to the idiot who thought contradicting Pepper Potts was a good idea - had been the one who forced Tony to reply to the weeks’ worth of emails he had missed. He had tried to start with the fan mail, but Pepper and Wanda mutually agreed that if his head got any bigger it would explode, hence why he was grumbling over meeting times and overdue payments.

Natasha and Clint were sat in chairs beside him playing cards. They had asked Wanda to play, but she had politely declined. It reminded her too much of Pietro who, no matter the situation, always had a pack of cards handy. They battled against each other silently, the only communication between them being quirks of eyebrows and slight upturns of lips. Wanda found herself watching them play for a few minutes, not because she was interested in their game, but more because their dynamic was just so familiar. The way they didn’t even need to talk to know what the other was thinking; it was like watching her and Pietro from afar.

 Eventually, with a triumphant grin, Natasha presented her cards proudly and Wanda chuckled as Clint’s face fell. He marked down yet another tally point under Natasha’s name on the napkin they were using and gathered the cards up to play another round, mumbling under his breath about her cheating. She rolled her eyes affectionately and mouthed ‘sore loser’ to Wanda. Smirking, Wanda replied with a mere nod of her head.

Just then, Steve walked into the room with both hands full of cardboard cups. The smell of coffee immediately filled the air and Wanda couldn’t help but feel jealous. She still wasn’t allowed coffee due to the nature of her injury.

Noticing her sour look, Steve smiled sympathetically and said “Don’t worry, you’ll be better before you know it”

“Everyone keeps on saying that, but I feel like I’ve been stuck here for decades” groaned Wanda miserably as she watched Steve hand out the cups to everyone in the room. When he reached Peter, he slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out an energy drink and a chocolate bar, which Peter accepted gratefully. Wanda couldn’t help but laugh as Peter bit into the chocolate without actually taking off the wrapper first. He chuckled sheepishly and lightly kicked her leg.

“Hey!” she cried, giggling more.

“You were laughing at me” he protested, but he was laughing too.

“Ah! Coffee! I could kiss you, Cap” Tony declared after taking a ravenous gulp from the cup.

Steve raised his eyebrows at the comment before glancing outside at Pepper, who was still arguing down the phone.

“I don’t think Miss Potts would appreciate that Stark” he joked, an easy smile slipping onto his face. Tony shrugged in reply, his mouth otherwise preoccupied gulping down the caffeinated liquid.

Almost as if she could sense them talking about her, Pepper walked back into the room wearing an apologetic smile, her heels clacking loudly on the floor.

“Sorry about that everyone” she said, but she was looking at Wanda.

“It’s alright, honestly. You don’t all have to be here, I know you are all busy” Wanda answered in her best impression of nonchalance. If she was being truthful, she would have preferred it if they stayed; their presence made her feel less lonely and their banter was always good entertainment. Plus, anything was better than being alone with the incessant pain in her side. But, she was increasingly aware of how much time they were all spending with her, and she felt more and more guilty as the hours wore on. It was clear from Tony’s frown lines that he was stressed about the amount of work he missed, and the simple fact that Peter was completing his homework there in the hospital told her that he was falling behind too.

“Oh, don’t be silly! We aren’t going anywhere sweetheart” Pepper assured her kindly as she fluffed Wanda’s pillows. A warmth spread through Wanda’s chest when she was met with several smiles identical to Pepper’s.

“Nah, the WiFi here is surprisingly good. And, they sell burgers now! Sure, I had to raise their salaries but they were due a pay rise anyhow” Stark dismissed.

“We’re going to watch Star Wars now anyway, right?” Peter checked, his brown eyes sparkling in excitement.

“Yes, of course we are” she replied affectionately. Peter nimbly hopped off the bed and began fumbling around his rucksack for his laptop.

“Here, kid, use mine. I’m done for the day” Tony announced, eyeing Pepper warily from the corner of his eye. She rolled her eyes, but said nothing, probably reluctant to dampen Peter’s mood.

“Really Mr Stark? Thanks!” he grinned.

It didn’t take long for Peter to set the movie up and clamber back into the abnormally large hospital bed. With a little bit of manoeuvring (and a couple stifled whimpers on Wanda’s part) Peter and her were settled and ready to go.

“You’re going to love it Wanda. It’s, like, the best movie series in existence” Peter rambled giddily. Wanda simply nodded and smiled along to his antics, already knowing that she would be befuddled by the film before even starting it. She didn’t mind watching though as it made Peter so happy.

As the film played, one by one the avengers shifted their chairs so that they were all crowded around the screen. It wasn’t a perfect arrangement - Bruce and Tony debated in whispers the entire time about the believability of the plot and were constantly hushed by Peter and Clint, who was surprisingly into the film, whilst Steve and Wanda shared looks of utter confusion and Natasha switched between idly shuffling cards and sharpening knifes in the corner – but it was nice. Wanda found herself wondering what she had done to deserve such a family. They were dysfunctional and crazy and often arguing, but they were her’s. She couldn’t be more grateful.

“Thank you. All of you. I really appreciate it” Wanda blurted out near the end. Several pairs of eyes settled on her and she felt heat rising in her cheeks.

“For what?” Peter asked bewildered.

“For everything” she replied. She hesitated briefly, before continuing.

“I…I have never had a family before. It was just Pietro and I for so long. I never knew what it was like. But now, I have you all. You have done so much for me, I am eternally grateful. I don’t know how to repay you”.

Tears welled in her eyes as she picked at the bedsheets, she didn’t have the strength to meet anyone’s eyes.

A warm hand enveloped hers and squeezed it gently.

“You don’t owe any of us anything Wanda. We help you because that’s what family is for” Steve said softly, and everyone murmured in agreement. Peter awkwardly wrapped an arm around Wanda’s shoulders and gave her side hug.

“Thank you” Wanda replied, too choked up to say anything more.

“Stop thanking us! We want to be there for you- wait, shhhh this is a good part!” Peter exclaimed, his excitement was almost palpable. Wanda giggled but obediently stayed quiet and watched the screen. She still had no idea what was happening, and judging by Steve’s expression, neither did he. At least she wasn’t alone.

Her life nowadays was chaotic (hell, she was in a top secret hospital because she – an enhanced teenager with telekinesis – had been stabbed) but the pros definitely outweighed the cons. She had a family, for the first time in years, she had a proper family. And she had friends (Ned and Mj were actually really cool, and Peter even said that she could meet Betty, whoever that was). But, most of all, she wasn’t alone, and she never would be again.

After Pietro died, she felt like a part of her died with him. He was her other half, her best friend, the only person she ever truly loved. The grief had threatened to suffocate her but worse than that, for a while she felt like the isolation would swallow her whole. The only person on the planet that understood her, who knew her better than she knew herself, had been cruelly snatched away from her forever. She had been so devastated, so afraid, and so very alone.

But then, the avengers, her light at the end of an extremely dark tunnel, saved her. They gave her reason to continue, reason to live. They fought for her harder than she ever thought they would and in doing so returned her hope and happiness. Little by little, they filled the hollow shell she had become with pieces of herself until, one day, she started feeling less empty. It was a slow and laborious journey, and she still had days where she couldn’t find the energy to get out of bed, too overcome with sorrow to consider moving. But, with their help she was getting there.

There would always be pieces of herself missing; her parents, Pietro, everyone else she lost. But the gaping holes they left were gradually being filled with new pieces; new likes and dislikes, new knowledge, new memories. Wanda felt guilty at first, but she realised that this is what Pietro and her parents would want. For her to be happy and whole again.

When she had been stabbed, and she was lying alone in a pool of her blood, one desperate thought kept crossing her mind – _I want to go home_. It took her a while to realise it, but home wasn’t a place, at least not to her. Home was the people she was surrounded by. Home was the avengers.

And Wanda was overjoyed to finally have a home.

**Author's Note:**

> Ta daaaaa! I know, I'm being mean with that cliffhanger but hopefully you won't have to wait to long to find out what happens next.....
> 
> Remember to leave a kudos if you enjoyed, they honestly do brighten my day!
> 
> And leave prompts for future one shots! I'm not sure how frequent I'll be with uploading them because I am busy as school right now, plus my writing is truly terrible when I'm not properly inpsired ahahah, but I'll try my best to not leave it too long.
> 
> Thanks again for the love on the last chapter. See you guys soon!! :)


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